Apparatus for treating fabric

ABSTRACT

A method and associated apparatus of modular construction is provided for treating a running fabric web with various chemicals, such as scouring elements, and then drying the web by the use of super-heated solvent vapor and air as the drying agent in a closed system. A multi-stage solvent treatment station is provided wherein each stage continuously re-cycles a portion of the solvent to provide maximum solvent flow and cleaning action with a minimum amount of solvent. Additional chemical application stations are provided for applying selected chemicals to the fabric at different stages in the treatment process.

Helm

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRIC [75] lnventorz' William J. Holm,Springfield, Vt. A [73] I Assignee: Riggs & Lombard, Inc., Lowell,

Mass.

[22] Filed: Dec. 13, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 207,430

[52] [1.8. CI 68/3 SS, 68/18 C, 68/20, 68/205 R [51] Int. Cl. B05c 9/06,BOSc 9/14 [58] Field of Search 68/3 SS, 9, 18 C, 20, 205 R [56]References Cited I UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,518,848 7/1970 Becker....'68/205 R X 1,387,072 8/1921 Putnam", 6 8/20 X 2,817,227 12/1957 Eriksson68/205 R X 3,365,752 l/1968 Farell 68/205 R 2,591,069 4/1952 Hodge 68/9X 2,621,506 l2/1952 Hopkins et al..... 68/205 R X 2,745,712 5/1956Hurling et al 68/205 R X Stevens ..68/18C STORAGE I STILL.

[111 3,803,879 AprQl6, 1974 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,059,53011/1953 France 68/18 C Primary Examiner-Peter Feldman AssistantExaminer-Philip R. Coe

Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Morse, Altman, Oates & Bello ABSTRACT entstages in the treatment process.

4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure CHEMICAL NO.| STORAGE CHEMICAL N02 STORAGEPATENTEDAPR 16 I974 wo mokm APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRIC BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generallyto the treatment of textiles and more particularly is directed towards anew and improved apparatus for solvent scouring a running fabric web. i

2. Description of the Prior Art During the production of many types oftextile fabrics, it usually is necessary to clean or scour the fabric inorder to remove a variety of impurities natural to or collected by thefabric. The scouring process and subsequent drying preferably should becarried out with the fabric in a fully relaxed condition to avoidstretching or otherwise distorting the material. This is particularlytrue with respect to knit goods which are fragile and easilystretchable. While it is desirable to have a large volume of scouringsolvent washing through the fabric in order to provide a thoroughcleansing action, it becomes quite expensive to achieve this in view notonly of the high cost of the solvent itself, but also the storagerequirements which must be provided where a large quantity of solvent isused. Heretofore, scouring equipment together with associated solventstorage tanks have occupied a large amount of floor space. Further,equipment of thisjtype has been relatively fixed in design and lackingin flexibility for performing other textile processing operations.

Accordingly, itis an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved apparatus for treating a running fabric web. A moreparticular object of this invention is to provide a new and improvedapparatus for solvent scouring a running'web on a continuous basisproviding a high washing action with a minimum volume of solvent. Afurther object of this invention is to provide a novel apparatus fordrying the fabric without distortion thereof.

- SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention features the apparatus fortreating a running fabric web, comprising delivering the web in atensionless flat condition onto a conveyor and carrying the web past aplurality of scouring stations with each station re-cycling a portion ofsolvent drains as well as a portion of the adjacent station drains, thenpast a final station wherein clean, fresh solvent is applied. The web isthen carried through a suction station where a portion of the solvent isremoved and then past an optional application station where a chemicalmay be applied to the web. The web is then carried into a drying chamberBRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The FIGURE is a sectional view in sideelevation, somewhat schematic, of a fabric treating apparatus madeaccording to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to thedrawing, the reference character .10 generally indicates a fabrictreating apparatus comprised of modular housing sections 12 and 14detachably connected to one another along a vertical joint 16. Ingeneral, the forward section 12 serves as a solvent scouring chamberwhile the after section 14 serves as a drying chamber. The apparatus 10is mostly enclosed within a housing fonned by side walls 18 and endwalls 20 and 22, bottom walls 24 and 27 and top walls 20 and 30.

A running web 32, which may be in flat open width form as for wovenfabrics or in flat tubular form as for knit fabrics, is carried up in aninclined conveyor 34 and dropped down onto an inclined chute 36extending into the first stage 12 and terminating slightly above theupper reach of a horizontally extending conveyor 38. A feeler 40 islocated between the discharge end of the chute 36 and the start of theconveyor 38 to sense the tension on the web 32 as it is delivered ontothe conveyor. The feeler is operatively connected to one of the drivingrolls for the feed conveyor 34 and serves to control the rate ofdelivery of the web into the scouring chamber. If the feed is too fast,the web will drape loosely as it comes off the chute whereas if the feedis tooslow, the web will become tensioned. In any event,

. the feeler will sense the condition and, through the control unit,take corrective action.

Mounted above the upper reach of the conveyor 38 are banks of sprayheads or nozzles 42, 44 and 46 arranged in spaced parallel relationtransversely across the conveyor and positioned to spray the web 32 withsolvent as it is carried underneath. Typically, each group of spraynozzles may be three in number and typically may be in the form of tubesor pipes formed with longitudinal slits or longitudinally alignedperforations adapted to dispense the solvent in the form of a sprayagainst the web. Each set of nozzles is connected by its own conduit 48,50 and 52, respectively, to its own pump 54, 56 and 58, respectively.Each of the pumps is connected by a conduit 60, 62 and 64, respectively,to a drain tank or a trough 66, 68 and 70.

The drain troughs66, 68 and 70 are mounted adjacent to one another in avertically staggered relation with the tank 66 below the level of thetank 68 which, in turn, is below the level of the tank 70. The drainsfrom the nozzles above the conveyor collect in the troughs with most ofthe drains running down an inclined wall 72 into the first trough 70.The wall 72 is located directly below a nozzle or spray bar 74positioned at the end of the nozzle sets 42, 44 and 46 and connected bya conduit 76 to a still 78 whereby clean, fresh solvent only will besprayed onto the web prior to leaving the scouring chamber. Thus, thetrough 70 in conjunction with the pump 58, conduits 62 and 64 andsprayheads 46 re-circulate relatively clean solvent at this stage sinceit is closest to the fresh solvent coming from the nozzle 74. Theoverflow from the trough 70 goes into the middle trough 68 which alsoreceives some drain from its associated nozzles directly over it andwhich drains include those impurities washed down by the set of nozzles42. Thus, the second set of sprayheads 44 wash the' fabric with solventthat is less clean than the solvent going through the sprayheads 46, yetcleaner than those at the first set of heads 42. The overflow from thetrough 68 is to the trough 66 which is recycled to the first set ofnozzles 42 by means of a pump 54. Since the fabric entering the firstpart of the scouring station receives its first cleaning at the firststation the solvent being circulated will be relatively dirty incomparison with the other stages wherein the solvent becomessuccessively cleaner until it passes the nozzles 74 where completelyclean, fresh solvent is applied and at which point the fabric is fullyscoured. The recycling of the solvent in this fashion provides a veryhigh capacity of washing action which is extremely effective and keepsto a minimum the total quantity of solvent required, despite the highpumping volume. The overflow from the trough 66 is to a collection drain80 which feeds through a line 82 and is pumped back to the still 78where the solvent is purified and returned to the scouring stationthrough the line 76. A storage tank 84 is provided and connected to thestill to compensate for losses due to evaporation, leakage and the like.

7 The scouring action is further enhanced by vibrating the web as itpassesthrough the scouring station. This may be done by means of aneccentrically rotated roller 85 mounted below the upper reach of theconveyor 38.

As the fabric is carried by the conveyor 38 out of the scouring chamber,it is carried over a slit suction pipe 86 mounted below the upper reachof the conveyor belt and connected by a line 88 to a vacuum pump 90which discharges the recovered solvent back into the still. In practice,the conveyor belt 38 is in a form of a foraminous screen or meshmaterial which permits the solvent to pass freely therethrough. Byre-cycling the solvent in this fashion, the cleansing action ismultiplied. For example, assuming the pumping capacity from the still is600 gallons a minute, this washing volume would be multipliedapproximately four times by the re-cycling stages, the multiplicationfactor depending upon the number of re-cycling stages.

From the suction box 86, the conveyor 38 carries the web under aspraybar 92 adapted to deliver a liquid chemical over the width of thefabric. The spraybar is connected by a line 94 and pump 96 to a storagetank 98. A drain board 100 is located below the upper reach of theconveyor and under the spraybar 92 to collect the runoff from thisstation. A drain return line may be provided to recover excess chemicaland return it to the storage tank 98. Various types of chemicals may beapplied at this station such, for example, a finishing chemical soldunder the trademark Scotchguard by the 3M Company.

From this finishing station, the web is transported into the dryingsection 14 and is discharged from the conveyor 38 onto the upper reachof a conveyor 102, preferably of an openwork material to permit vaporsto pass therethrough. The conveyor 102 is disposed slightly below'thelevel of the conveyor 38 and a feeler 104, similar to the feeler 40, isprovided to sense the tension of the web as it moves from one conveyorto the other. As before, the feeler 104 is operatively connected to theconveyor 102 to control the speed thereof to prevent tensioning of theweb and also to prevent the web from bunching up. Insofar'as the webwill be drying while it is on the conveyor 102, it will undergodimensional changes to some extent depending upon the material. Thus,unless compensation is provided in the speed of the conveyor 102, theweb would tend to tension longitudinally with respect to the section ofthe web passing through the scouring station.

In order to aid in removal of the solvent from the web and also toprovide bulking action, a vibratory motion is introduced to the web. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the vibratory action is provided by means ofan eccentric roll 106 below the upper reach of the conveyor belt 102 androtated by any suitable means such as a motor and the like. Rotation ofthe eccentric roll 106 will agitate and vibrate the conveyor belttogether with the web, tending to shake out droplets of solvent withinthe web fibers and also fluffing up the web material in the process.

The main drying action in the drying chamber is provided by means of acombination of super-heated solvent vapor and air which is deliveredthrough ducts I08 and 110 disposed above the upper reach of the conveyor102 and provided with openings along their bottom walls to direct heatedgas down against the web. Air and solvent vapors are continuouslyre-circulated within the drying chamber and provide a highly effectivemedium for drying the fabric. The mixture of air and solvent along withany solvent flashed off from the web by the drying action, is drawn downtowards the bottom of the drying chamber through condensers 112 mountedacross an opening formed in a horizontal supporting wall 114. A portionof the vapors passing through the condensers will condense and collectin one of the troughs formed in a drainboard 116 and these drains arethen returned to the still for re-use. The remaining gaseous mixture ofair and vapor is drawn into a centrifugal blower I18 and forced into amanifold 120 across which is mounted a heater 122. The heater superheatsthe vapor for optimum drying action prior to distribution through thetransversely extending ducts 108 and 110 disposed across the conveyor102 and communicating with the heater manifold.

From the conveyor 102 the web is transferred upwardly to anotherhorizontal conveyor 124, the speed of which is controlled by means of afeeler 126 and which also is provided with a vibrator 128. Ducts 108'and-110' are located above the conveyor as in the first instance.Disposed above the upper reach of the conveyor 124 is another dischargehead 130 providing a second fabric finishing station wherein a chemical,which may be the same as or different from the chemical at the firstfinishing station, is applied to the web. The head 130 is connected by aconduit 132 and a pump 134 to a chemical storage tank 136.

The web is then carried along a reversely extending path and is fed uponto the uppermost conveyor 138, the speed of which is controlled by afeeler 146 where it is carried upwardly and outwardly through the end ofthe drying chamber to be delivered to a take-up roll or transferred toother processing equipment.

By virtue of the modular construction, the scouring and drying sectionsmay be separated to permit the addition of other fabric processingequipment, to extend the length of theconveyors, to add heatingsections, provide more finishing stations, provide additional washingaction, or the like. This provides a high level of flexibility since theunits may be used together, in

desired.

Having thus described the invention what I claim and desire to obtain byLetters Patent of the United States 1s:

1. Apparatus for treating a running fabric web, comprising a. conveyormeans defining a horizontally flat upper reach adapted to carry said webin a substantially flat, relaxed condition along a predetermined path,

b. a plurality of liquid dispensing stations longitudinally spaced fromfirst to last along said path above said upperv reach and adapted todeliver liquid onto said web,

c. the last of said stations connected to a source of fresh liquid,

d. height staggered interconnected discrete drain collecting meansdisposed below said path and beneath each of said dispensing stationsfor recovering'said liquid,

e. discrete pumping means connected between each of said drain means andthe station directly above for recirculating at least a portion of saiddrains onto said web f. a still connected to the drain collecting meansbelow the first of said dispensing stations,

g. a substantially closed drying chamber enclosing a portion of saidpath, blower means connected to said chamber for circulating air andvapor therethrough, heating means communicating with said blower meansfor heating said air and vapor, and condensing means communicating withsaid chamber for condensing at least a portion of said vapor, and

h. vibrating means comprising power driven eccentric rollers engagingthe lower face of the upper reach of said conveyor means for vibratingsaid conveyor means and said web.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 including at least one chemicalapplication station along said path for apr 6 plying chemicals to saidweb.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said chamber is detachablyconnected to said stations to provide modular construction thereof.

4. Apparatus .for treating a running fabric web, comprising a. conveyormeans defining a horizontally flat upper reach adapted to carry saidwebin a substantially flat, relaxed condition along a predetermined path,

b. a plurality of liquid dispensing stations longitudinally spaced insequence from first to last along said path above said upper reach andadapted to deliver liquid onto said web,

c. the last of said stations connected to a source of fresh liquid,

d. height staggered interconnected discrete drain collecting meansdisposed below said path and beneath each of said dispensing stationsfor recovering said liquid,

e. discrete pumping means connected between each of said drain means andthe station directly above for re-circulating at least a portion of saiddrains onto said web,

f. a still connected to the drain collecting means below the firstofsaid dispensing stations,

g. a substantially closed drying chamber enclosing a portion of saidpath, blower means connected to said chamber for circulating air andvapor therethrough, heating means communicating with said blower meansfor heating said air and vapor, and condensing means communicating withsaid chamber for condensing at least a portion of said vapor, and,

h. suction means between said chamber and said stations and below saidconveyor means for removing a portion of said liquid from said web, saidsuction means being connected to said still.

1. Apparatus for treating a running fabric web, comprising a. conveyor means defining a horizontally flat upper reach adapted to carry said web in a substantially flat, relaxed condition along a predetermined path, b. a plurality of liquid dispensing stations longitudinally spaced from first to last along said path above said upper reach and adapted to deliver liquid onto said web, c. the last of said stations connected to a source of fresh liquid, d. height staggered interconnected discrete drain collecting means disposed below said path and beneath each of said dispensing stations for recovering said liquid, e. discrete pumping means connected between each of said drain means and the station directly above for recirculating at least a portion of said drains onto said web f. a still connected to the drain collecting means below the first of said dispensing stations, g. a substantially closed drying chamber enclosing a portion of said path, blower means connected to said Chamber for circulating air and vapor therethrough, heating means communicating with said blower means for heating said air and vapor, and condensing means communicating with said chamber for condensing at least a portion of said vapor, and h. vibrating means comprising power driven eccentric rollers engaging the lower face of the upper reach of said conveyor means for vibrating said conveyor means and said web.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 including at least one chemical application station along said path for applying chemicals to said web.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said chamber is detachably connected to said stations to provide modular construction thereof.
 4. Apparatus for treating a running fabric web, comprising a. conveyor means defining a horizontally flat upper reach adapted to carry said web in a substantially flat, relaxed condition along a predetermined path, b. a plurality of liquid dispensing stations longitudinally spaced in sequence from first to last along said path above said upper reach and adapted to deliver liquid onto said web, c. the last of said stations connected to a source of fresh liquid, d. height staggered interconnected discrete drain collecting means disposed below said path and beneath each of said dispensing stations for recovering said liquid, e. discrete pumping means connected between each of said drain means and the station directly above for re-circulating at least a portion of said drains onto said web, f. a still connected to the drain collecting means below the first of said dispensing stations, g. a substantially closed drying chamber enclosing a portion of said path, blower means connected to said chamber for circulating air and vapor therethrough, heating means communicating with said blower means for heating said air and vapor, and condensing means communicating with said chamber for condensing at least a portion of said vapor, and, h. suction means between said chamber and said stations and below said conveyor means for removing a portion of said liquid from said web, said suction means being connected to said still. 